"If I didn't create art I would go crazy and this is a good enough reason to carry on."
March 11, 2012 3:07 AM   Subscribe

"I draw with a Biro pen, i paint with anything. I often run into the sea." Mark Powell draws old people on old envelopes with a plain old ballpoint pen.

From a short interview at The Hidden People web site:

Why envelopes?

"I choose envelopes because they hold an enigma. They have all carried and hidden something that will remain a mystery much like the images of the elderly that I draw. My portraits also show a journey that hasn’t been told."

He's also on Flickr and Twitter.
posted by taz (11 comments total) 20 users marked this as a favorite
 
Apparently, Adam Ant is a fan.
posted by taz at 3:11 AM on March 11, 2012


Some of those are creepy, some of those are inspiring, and some of those are inscrutable. I guess that makes it officially art. ;)
posted by wierdo at 3:25 AM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]


His work has a Norman Rockwell feel to it. I like it. Thanks for the link!
posted by HuronBob at 3:43 AM on March 11, 2012


The nice thing about ballpoints is that you can get a light shading effect by just edging the tip until a little ink comes out. Lightly rubbing the pen at an angle, using it something like a pastel or piece of chalk, leaves a fainter blended layer of ink. One can do the same with pencil, of course, but ink has its own color and richness that pencil doesn't always equal, to my mind.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:33 AM on March 11, 2012 [2 favorites]


I always feel so useless when I see people with talent like this. Stunning.
posted by Fizz at 7:06 AM on March 11, 2012 [2 favorites]


I like these a lot, but isn't this Steve Urkel?
posted by sweetkid at 8:22 AM on March 11, 2012


I now remember licking and sticking these stamps onto Chrstmas cards. This will unsettle me all day...
posted by marvin at 8:27 AM on March 11, 2012


These are every bit as excellent as I was hoping they'd be when I read your description. Thanks!
posted by MexicanYenta at 9:18 AM on March 11, 2012


Beautiful, rich details. This makes me curious about his process
posted by Surfurrus at 11:46 AM on March 11, 2012


Seriously talented artist. I wonder if by using the really old envelopes as his canvas if he's destroying something of archival worth though?
posted by arcticseal at 1:52 AM on March 12, 2012


This one is photo quality.
posted by arcticseal at 1:53 AM on March 12, 2012


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